Leitner raised the money by asking donors to forgo an afternoon bag of chips, and instead donate the pocket change to the alliance. He hoped thousands of small donations from ordinary people would add up to a big impact.

Donors to the campaign were allowed to pick their favorite from a list of three charities. At the end of the first round of donations, Outreach International had the most votes.

Charities VillageReach, Charity Water and Choice Humanitarian will vie for the second round of donations. Leitner's ultimate goal is to raise $2 million. He has sweetened the deal by recording his own rap, "Fight for a Cause," as a free download for Archimedes Alliance donors.